Campus Budget
Chancellor's Budget Update to Students
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January 26, 2009
To: UMass Amherst Students
I want to welcome you back to campus, and to the start of a new semester. I hope you had a productive and enjoyable winter break and that you return to Amherst with renewed vigor and enthusiasm.
I issue this message at an auspicious time for UMass Amherst, the Commonwealth, the nation, and the world. Most observers believe, as I do, that we are currently in the worst economic crisis since the Great Depression of the 1930s. For that reason I am writing to you today about our budget situation and what we are doing about it.
We have had mid-year budget reductions this year, the effects of which we have partially postponed until next academic year, and we will surely see a large portion of our state allocation reduced for the coming fiscal year. At this point we are anticipating we will need to address budget cuts in excess of $45 million to balance next year’s budget.
Difficult decisions will need to be made, but I am writing today to ensure you that we will remain focused and committed to the academic quality of this great university, and to delivering a curriculum of the highest quality possible.
We are a campus defined by our tremendous faculty, world renowned in their respective fields, and dedicated to teaching.
We attract the best and the brightest students from across the Commonwealth and the nation.
We have an experienced, quality staff who support all of us and our activities on a daily basis.
While we face threats, we are still a university defined by our considerable strengths.
I was in Washington D.C. last week working in support of the federal stimulus legislation and advocating for the critical assistance it could provide to the university. While in our nation’s capital, just after the inauguration, I was struck by how that great city was still abuzz with hope for the future, even in the face of truly dismal financial indicators. Our new President was somber, but hopeful, in his first address as our leader. He did not shy away from the challenges, nor did he promise instantaneous results. What he did say was that we as a people would meet our challenges and move ahead, together.
Just as our newly inaugurated President said in his first address to the nation last week, we too must face our challenges here at UMass as a united campus, and, working together, we will weather this storm. I know that these times are uncertain, and that there is cause for concern, but I believe similarly that our university community will come together and meet our challenges.
While ultimately it is my responsibility to make decisions based on the best interests of the university as a whole, I believe broadly engaging our community in the discussion is the right thing to do.
To that end, we created a special budget web site at www.umass.edu/chancellor/budget.html that has a great deal of information, and I encourage you to go to this site to learn more. We have received hundreds of emails through this website, and we’ve already adopted many of the suggestions.
Over the next few months, we will all need to reaffirm our commitment to the university in order to help UMass Amherst get through this difficult period.
I look forward to hearing from many of you, and to seeing you on campus, in the coming weeks.
Chancellor Robert C. Holub
